Recording system for telephone conversations



u y 11, 193 H. s. HELLER 2,165,545;

RECORDING SYSTEM FOR TELEFHONE' CONVERSATIONS In venior. Herman il/e1 l er.

2 Sheets- Sheet l Filed Nov. 1937 L 2 m M, 4 a 4 y 11, 1939- H. s. HELLER 2,165,546

RECORDING SYSTEM FOR TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS Filed Nov. 8, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet?- lnveni'an" erman 5. Hell er.

re-eas s u e ii, are

moonpma srs'rmu Foe, TEL-muons CONVERSATIONS Herman S. Heller, West Los Angeles, Calif. Application November-8, 1937, Serial No. 173,302

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to systems ventlon to provide an improved system for recording both sides of a telephone conversation without establishingelectrical connection with the telephone equipment.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an acoustic coupling instrument adapted to be related in acoustic relation tothe standard telephone set of the commercial telephone system. In a. preferred form of the invention, the usual telephone instrument of the main telephone system is simply rested on the;

acoustic coupling instrument, the transmitter and receiver of the telephone instrument being sup ported in acoustic couplingrelatlon to a speaker and microphone. respectively, of the coupling instrument. The microphone of-the'coupling instrument picks up the sound reproduced by the telephone receiver, and produces a voice current,

which is suitably amplified, and then conducted.

to the receiver of an auxiliary telephone which is used by the person operating the system. The voice current produced by talking into the transmitter of thisauxiliary telephone is suitably am- I plified and then conducted to the speaker of the acoustic coupling instrument, where the sound spoken into the auxiliary telephone is audibly reproduced, and pickedv up bythe transmitter of the telephone connected to the main telephone system. A recording system is provided for making a record of both the voice current conducted to the receiver of the auxiliary telephoneinstrument, and the voice current conducted to the speaker of the acoustic coupling device. It will be evident that both sides of the telephone con-' versation will thereby be recorded. When the system is not being used, the auxiliary telephone instrument is rested on the acoustic coupler de vice, and at such time the main telephone instrument rests on its usual telephone stand. The telephone instrument may be usedrat any time, without making a recording, in the normal manner. v

An optional. feature of the present invention comprises means automatically actuated as the bit electrical connection of any type of record- "Fill of a present preferred embodiment thereof, reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

.Fig. 1 is an elevational view of'the acoustic coupler of the present invention in a form adapted for use in connection with a telephone instrument of the French type;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the device of Fig. 1, with the auxiliary telephone instrument rested thereon;

Fig. "3 is a view-like that of Fig. 2, but with the m'aih'telephone instrument rested thereon; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the electrical system 01' the present invention.

Numeral l0 designates generally a usual commercial .telephone instrument of the "French type, though it will be understood that the present invention may be adapted to other types of telephone instruments. the invention being here illustrated in its specific adaptation to use in associat'ion with a "French phcne since that type of phone is now in wide use, though without implication of any necessary limitation thereto.

The usual stand for telephone instrument It is indicated at it, the connecting-cable being indicated at E2. The cable it leading from stand it will be understood to be connected to the usual main or commercial telephone system. Telephone instrument ill, which will hereinafter be" met I v referred to. as the main telephone, is here shown I as of'a well known type embodying earpiece or receiver M and transmitter or microphone i5, connected by a handle Iii. The acoustic coupler I!- of the present invention is shown in a typical form in Figs. 1', 2 and 3, embodying a somewhat elongated body or stand it having a base comprising an outwardly turned flange portion i9 and a removable cover plate 20 and instrument supporting plate 2| secured thereto inany suitable removable manner.

.Opposite ends of body itlare formed with openings .24 and 25 spaced apart and positioned properly to receive the transmitter l5 and receiver or ear piece M, respectively, of telephone instrument it (see Fig.3). Opening 24 is defined by a rim 26 on which is fitted a coupler ring 21, preferably of resilient material as rubber. This ring 21 is formed with an internal upwardly facing shoulder 28 and a tapered inner wall surface 29 above shoulder 28, adapted to receive the end portion of the transmitter with a noise-excluding .fit. Thus, the transmitter is shown with an annular shoulder 30 rest ing on ringshoulder 28, and with its outer portion 3! fitting within ring surface 29.

Body opening 25 is provided with a somewhat similar rim on which is fitted a coupler ring 36, also of resilient material such as rubber, and provided with an internal upwardly facing shoulder 31 and a tapered inner wallsurface 38 above shoulder 31, adapted to receive the end portion of the receiver or car piece l4.of the telephone instrument with a noise-excluding fit. Receiver I4 is shown provided with a shoulder 39 resting on ring shoulder 31, and with its outer rim portion fitting within ring surface 38.

A speaker S is removably supported by a mounting 32 and a spring bracket 33 on plate 2i, so thatan annular flange 34 formed on its horn '5! is supported against a'shoulder 42 surrounding a sound passage 43 leading to an acoustic chamber 54 between the mouth or horn of the speakerand the transmitter i5 of telephone IB. Preferably, a resilient ring 45, for instance of rubber, is placed between flange 34 and shoulder 42, so as to exclude noise from chamber 44.

A microphone M is removably supported by a spring bracket 46 mounted on plate 2| against a shoulder 4'! formed around passage 88 leading to acoustic chamber 49, between receiver l4 of telephone l0 and said microphone M, a resilient ring 41a, for instance of rubber, being preferably placed between the microphone and shoulder 41, so as to'exclude noise from chamber 49.

Mounted on body l8, between openings 24 and 25, is a positioning device 50, similar to that used on a. conventional French telephone instrument, said device having four upwardly extending pronge 5! adapted to receive the handle l6 of main telephone instrument in when placed on the coupler (see Fig. 3).

Fig. 2 shows a second or auxiliary telephone instrument 89 rested on theacoustic coupler instrument. This second telephone 85 has a hendle Btu-provided on its underside with a lug or ridge 852;, not present on standard instrument l0, and when instrument 86 is placed on the coupler, ridge 8% engages and depresses a plate 52 mounted on the upper end of a vertical plunger 53 slidably mounted in abore 55 extending through supporting member 56 and downwardly within a depending extension 55 on member 50. Plate 52 and plunger 53 are normally supported in an uppermost position by a coil spring 57 placed below plunger 55 and seating-atthe' hottom on a shoulder 58 forming the juncture between bore 54 and a reduced bore 55 extending through the .lower end of projection 56. "Upward movement 01' plunger 53 and plate 52 is limited by engagement of a cross pin 60 in the lowerend of a reduced plunger portion 8| extending downwardly through hole 59. The

ing bracket it secured to the underside of web 5-3. vWhen plunger 53 and plate 52 are in uppermost position, when telephone instrument 86 is not mountedon the device, switch arm 6'! stands ina position with its contact in engagement with the contact of switch arm 68. When telephone instrument 86 is mounted on the device, handle rib 86b engages the plate 52 and depresses said plate 52 and plunger 53 against spring 51 to the position illustrated in Fig, 2, causing stem 5| to be moved against a cam element 13 on switch arm 57 and to cam said arm 61 away from switch arm 55 to separate their conductors 8D and ill to the input side of an am.-

plifier 82, which maybe typically of the vacuum tube type. The output leads 83 and 84 of amplifier 82 are connected to the receiver 85 of an auxiliary telephone instrument 86. The transmitter 88 of telephone instrument 85 is connected by leads 59 and 90 to the input side of an amplifier 9|, which may also be of the vacuum tube type, the output leads 55 and 92 of which are connected to the speaker unit 8 of the acoustic coupler device. It will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that amplifiers 82 and 9! may be combined within one unit as a dual channel amplifier, if desired.

A recording system is provided, and while this may be of any suitable or well known type, .1 have here typically and conventionally indicated a recording system of the magnetic type. Thus a magnetic recording element 55, wire or tape, is indicated as being moved from a supply reel 97 to a. take-up reel 58, the latter being conventionally indlcated as driven by an electric motor 99. Motor 99 will of course be understood as driving tape and take-up reel 98 through any suitable or usual driving gear. not necessary to illustrate in detail herein. Tape 98 is shown as passing first through a pair of erasing coils I52 potentiated by a battery N3 in a circuit 055 connected to said coils. These erasing coils magnetically prepare the tape to receive the magnetic record, and as typical of various magnetic recording methods, the erasing coils may be considered as magnetizing the tape to saturation. The tape passes next between recording coils it, placed on opposite sides of the tape, and these recording coils are connected in circuit so as to carry voice currents corresponding to both sides of the telephone conversation. Thus, coils I08 are shown asconnected by leads Hi1 and I08 across a pair of leads I09 and H0, leads I59 and H0 being connected across output leads 53 and 84 of ampiifler 82, and also being connected across output leads 92 and 93 of amplifier 5!. Thus, a portion of the voice current output of amplifier 82,and a portion of the voice current. output of amplifier 9|, are recorded on magnetic tape'96.

The described electric switch 65, which will be understood to be closed while telephone unit i0 is mounted on the acoustic coupling device, closes a relay circuit l2u,-.includinga battery lEi, energizing a relay I22, to close the power supply cirarouses cuit energizing the amplifiers: and driving the magnetic recording system. Thus, relay It? when energized by closure of switch to, closesan electrical circuit between contacts 923 and IN in power supply lead 25, and also forms an electrical connection between contacts lit and ill in power supply lead an. Powersupplyleads I and IE8 are diagrammatically and conventionally indicated as having a. pair of branch leads I39 and till energizing electric drive motor Q5, and as having another pair of branch leads E32 and its supplyingpower to amplifiers 82 and 98 :Etelay i222 is shown as also closing the circuit energizing erasing coils W2, being provided with -energization of amplifiers s2 and M, as well as setting the recording system in operation. Telephone instrument it is then placed at once on the acoustic coupler, and telephone instrument to is picked up and used in an ordinary manner. Speech audibly reproduced within acoustic chamber $9 by the receiver it of telephone instrumentv netic tape lit, the resulting audible reproduction produced by speaker S-being piclted up by transmitter it and converted to a voice current in the main telephone system. 'ii'ie'rubber mounts 2t and to of the acoustic coupler exclude all external' noise, and conversation is uninterfei'ed with by the interposition of the system of the present invention. Amplifiers t2 and More of course adjusted to provide such a gain as will result in acoustic reproduction at receiver Stand speaker S of such a volume as will afford reproduced sound of normal volume from receiver 85, and a speech input to transmitter iii of normal loudness, and such as will at the some time provide voice currents of suitable amplitude for proper recording on tape as. r

When the conversation is completed, telephone instrument ill is replaced on its stand it, and telephone instrument 36 is replaced on the acoustic coupler, thereby stopping the recording means and opening the circuit to the amplifiers.

It will be understood that various changes in design, structure, and arrangements of the electricel systems, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or of speaker adapted to heacousticaily coupled to the receiver and transmitter, respectively, of said telephone instrument, an auxiliary telephone instrument, having a receiver and a. transmitter. electronic amplifier means for amplifying the telephone currents produced by the transmitter of said auxiliary telephone instrument and the microphone of the acoustic coupler, an amplifier output circuit carrying the amplified auxiliary telephonetransmitter currentsconnected to the speaker of said acoustic coupler, another ampli-- fier output circuit carrying the amplified couplermicrophone currents connectedto the receiver of the auxiliary telephone, and sound recording means having an input circuit associated with and receiving electrical energy from each of said amplifier output circuits;

2. In a system for recording a. telephone conversation, the combination, with a'telephone instrument of a main telephone system, of' an acoustic coupler comprising a stand adapted to removably support a telephone instrument, ands.

microphone and speaker positioned on said stand in such manner as to be acoustically coupled to the receiver and transmitter of a telephone instrument when said telephone instrument is supported in operative position on said stand, an

auxiliary telephone instrument,-said last mentionedinstrument adapted to be rested on said acoustic coupler when the recording system is not in use, a normally closed switch on said coupler, switch operating means unafiected' by the main telephone, instrument when. mounted on said coupler, means on the auxiliary telephone instrw ment acting when said instrument is positioned on the coupler to engage and operate said switch operating means to hold said switch in open po'- sition, electric circuiting for conducting telephone currents betweenthe microphone or the acoustic coupler and the receiver of the auxiliary tele phone instrument, andbetween the transmitter of the auxiliary telephone instrument and the speaker oithe acoustic coupler, sound recording means for mailing sound records oi said telephone currents, anoian electrical circuit for controlling starting and stopping or said sound recording means controlled by saidswitch on said acowitic coupler, so as to automatically start said recordins meanswhcn said auxiliary telephone instrument is removed from its position ofrest on the stand of said acoustic coupler.

3. In a. system for recording atelephone conversation, the combination, with a telephone instrument oi. a main telephone system, of an.

auxiliary telephone instrument being adapted to be tested, when the system is not in use, on said acoustic coupler stand, electric circuiting for conducting telephone currents hetween the microphone of the acoustic coupler and the receiver of the-auxiliary telephone instrument, and betweenthe transmitter of the auxiliary telephone instrument and the speaker of the acoustic coupler, sound recording means for making a sound record of-said telephone currents, and means for automatically setting said sound recording means into operationby virtue of removing said auxinbody having a transmitter opening and a receiver opening spaced apartby a distance equal to the spacingbetween the transmitter and receiver of a telephone instrument, said openings leading from acoustic chambers within said body, resilient mounting rings aroundsaid openings adapted to receive and support the transmitter and-receiver, respectively; of a telephone instrument in noise excluding relation, and a speaker and a microphone positioned within said body in com munication with the acoustic chambers leading ispectivelyto the transmitter and receiver openings, re-v HERMAN s. 1mm; 

